I’ve made quite a few recent mentions about my burgeoning interest in the hobby of table-top gaming (this includes RPGs, board games, and card games). I’ve also dabbled at writing about culture from my perspective. I’ve done a little to combine the two, and until now I didn’t really address a rather disappointing and annoying third element which relates to both but isn’t really a part of either. There is a sub-culture out there which might possibly be a sub-culture to a sub-culture (though this depends on the definition of a culture and a sub-culture which is an exercise for people who actually do that) which I’m afraid to say I am unable to avoid. Like an unwelcome relative forcing himself upon your hospitality over a three-day weekend holiday there are people belonging to what I will call the Churchy sub-culture of American Christians (I hope it has not spread beyond this vast nation anyway) who manage to intrude upon my life and my good graces. Brotherly love dictates I show them kindness and concern, and over the years I have learned to do this with genuine sincerity; I bear no ill will toward these people. However, because they do exist they make some aspects of my life a little more difficult.
For those not initiated in the ways of the modern American Church life among Evangelical believers (how’s that for a qualifier?) I fear I will not be helpful in describing and defining a Churchy person. It’s not so much a set of actions or beliefs as it is an attitude, and some attitudes have a wide and varying array of expression. A Churchy person is usually one who brings God into every situation and circumstance, and I mean every one. Nothing happens that isn’t God’s blessing, and this publicly declared (especially after something good happens in close proximity to something bad). Furthermore they are quite eager to be involved in anything and everything the church has planned, and they are perhaps a bit too eager to pray and invite you to all their Bible studies whenever something is troubling you.
If it sounds annoying it’s because it is, and yet I don’t often speak about it because these actions are so very hard to judge and discern. There are a great many times when offers of prayer were very welcome, and offers of help with a church activity I was planning was sorely needed. For some of these people they are quite genuine and sincere, but most come across as if they are merely playing a part in the great RPG known simply as Life. So here is an aspect of the Christian culture I come into contact with more often than I would like, and let’s face it no one really wants a Chruchy person accosting them for any reason, and when I look for a likely place to find fellowship, and possibly some socialization I naturally think of church, for there I will find people who are like-minded. The problem is, I don’t know that I can find many people who share even one interest/hobby of mine.
It would be greatly unfair of me to paint a picture of the modern American Evangelical Church as a bunch of Churchy people playing at religion from 9AM to 1PM every Sunday. This simply isn’t true, if for no other reason than I go to church and I am quite obviously a “weirdo”. I have thought about and considered finding people at my church to play games with, people who might join me around a table and slay a few orcs, battle the undead, assail each other with boots of butt-kicking, and quite possibly search for that illusive double run in a game of Pinochle. I’m stopped cold every time I think about this because the very first archetype that comes to mind is the Chruchy person. There is nothing spiritual about the games I want to play (unless you count hunting down witches and occultists putting a very decisive stop to their nefarious deeds), indeed I would expect a few of them to object and offer to pray for me that God might deliver my from my evil affliction.
Perhaps I’m sounding a bit too harsh, however I am sensitive to the spiritual maturity of others. Besides, I have had these things happen to me already for lesser issues, so I am quite painfully aware of the very real possibility of the scenario I just painted. Still, I know there are some gamers at church. I’ve heard them in interviews, I had one as a professor, and most of the people I play games with now are all church going folk. But if I may revisit my previous post concerning “The Fringe” I find it rather statistically unlikely I will find people who will want to play something other than the traditional American board game. I’m just not sure the distribution in my city is in my favor.
So, to all you non-Churchy people out there who think it might be fun to gather round a table and clean out a dungeon or two … with every eye closed and every head bowed… .